


The Art of the Compromise

by loversarcana



Series: I am not the reason no one trusts you [1]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi is worse at reading signals than he thinks, Bad Flirting, Banter, Enemies to Friends, Gen, M/M, Ryuji REALLY doesn't like Akechi, Scary Movies, Summer Vacation, gun mention, lightly implied ryuann + akeshu, violence mention
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-12 06:25:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11731356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loversarcana/pseuds/loversarcana
Summary: Ryuji can't stand Goro Akechi, but when the detective prince shows up and offers to sneak Ryuji into an R-18 movie, he decides to go along with it.[Takes place on 7/30 in-game]





	The Art of the Compromise

**Author's Note:**

> In Japan there are R-18 movies and R-15 movies, so in the interest of this story I’m assuming Akechi is old for his grade instead of young. He'll have already turned 18 by June in-game, and is currently at Confidant rank 2 with the protag.
> 
> p5 spoilers: don't read this if you haven't at least gotten to the 7th palace!
> 
> tw for hints of graphic violence due to the nature of the movie.

 

 7/30 _– Awaiting Futaba’s Recovery_

_\-------_

“Man, this blows,” said Ryuji, sliding his phone back into his pocket with a frown. He’d planned on going over to Leblanc to swap comics with Akira today, but he’d just gotten a text that told him otherwise.

_sry, forgot I had other plans for today. lets hang out tomorrow instead! ill treat you to a bb burger :) - Akira_

It’s not like Ryuji had already gotten on the subway or anything. But it was fine. He figured Akira was probably spending his time doing “productive” things, like hanging out with someone who could help them with Phantom Thieves stuff. Maybe it was the weird back-alley doctor, or the cool gun salesman. He couldn’t fault him for that, especially since they saw each other pretty often. 

Ryuji had been keeping himself busy with various members of the Phantom Thieves nonstop over summer vacation. Maybe some alone time would be a nice change of pace. But after getting off at the next stop and wandering through Shibuya for a few minutes, he realized being alone didn’t feel nearly as good as he thought it might.

Not like he wasn’t used to it. With the way he looked, people tended to steer clear. But he’d been spoiled recently. It was rare that none of the other members of the group were around him at any given moment. It’d been so long since he’d _truly_ been on his own, it actually made him feel a bit uneasy. 

Ryuji's hand twitched toward his pocket as he contemplated texting Ann. She was pretty free this break, and would be the easiest to get ahold of - but he thought better of it. Didn't want her to think he was desperate.

He walked aimlessly past the arcade, glancing it over with diminished interest. Usually that would be his go-to when he was bored, but he felt off today. Video games sounded exhausting. It was so hot, too, at this point he just wanted someplace nice and cool to relax.

The movie theater loomed over him from up ahead, as if answering his plea, billboard letters proclaiming the next terrifying installment in a horror movie franchise.

Ryuji, relieved, started to make a beeline for the ticket booth, but caught himself after a few steps. He eyed the title of the movie warily.

**Slasher City VII**

There was no way he was old enough to get in. The promise of that much blood and guts couldn’t possibly be R-15.

He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it, glaring at the movie headline as if that might solve his problem.

“Ah, Ryuji Sakamoto? From Shujin Academy?”

The smooth voice from behind him sent a spike of hot annoyance up Ryuji’s spine.

Of all the people for him to run into here, it had to be Goro Akechi. That famous detective prince, who denounced the Phantom Thieves for no good reason while preaching his own idiotic notion of justice. Ryuji couldn’t stand hearing girls gossiping constantly about him at school, or the way he fawned over Akira whenever they ran into him. 

Akechi was unbearably present, try as he might to avoid him, and Ryuji was sick of it.

Fighting against reflex, Ryuji resisted turning around to face the unwelcome party. He didn’t want the detective to see the scowl he wore, not yet. Acting on the fly wasn’t his strong suit, and he tended to blurt shit out at the worst possible moment, but somehow he knew he didn’t want Akechi to see his true feelings.

The bastard didn’t deserve even that much.

“Oh, it’s you,” Ryuji managed through his clenched jaw. He took a deep breath before turning and meeting Akechi’s gaze with the most neutral expression he could muster. God, that smile was so carefully constructed, soft and camera perfect, he felt sick looking at it. “Didn’t think you knew my name,” he added, and Akechi chuckled at that.

“Don’t be ridiculous. What kind of detective would I be if I didn’t know that? You have direct connections to Kurusu-kun and the other juveniles involved with recent ‘changes of heart.’ And speaking of juvenile...” He trailed off, his gaze slipping past Ryuji to fix on the movie title. “Aren’t you a little young to see something like this in theaters?”

Ryuji balled his fists, taking another breath. _Come on Ryuji, he’s baiting you. Don’t take it._

“Yeah, I realized that once I got here,” he replied, exerting an extreme effort to keep the agitated edge out of his voice. “You ain’t that much older than me, though. Doubt you could get in either.”

“Actually, I’m eighteen. And also relatively well known,” Akechi said with a wink. Ryuji somehow managed not to roll his eyes.

“Okay, so what? You come over here to brag or somethin’?”

“Actually, this is a bit embarrassing,” Akechi started, and wait, was he actually _fidgeting?_ “I happen to have a bit of spare time, and I thought you might want to see the movie with me.”

Ryuji failed to hide his look of utter astonishment at that. Did this guy seriously want to hang out? Could he not tell that Ryuji didn’t like him?

“For real?” 

“Well, yes. It would be quite easy for me to get you in. I thought I could solve both of our problems. Forget it, it was a silly idea –“

“Wait,” Ryuji interrupted. Maybe this was an opportunity he had to take. He could try his best to see what this guy’s deal was, why he hated their group so much. A real phantom thief intel mission. He knew this guy was bad news, he could smell it on him – he just didn’t have proof yet.

“Alright,” he agreed, and now it was Akechi’s turn to look at him in wide-eyed disbelief. “Sure. If you can get me in, I’ll see the movie with you.”

“How interesting,” muttered Akechi, his eyes gleaming, “All right, let’s get in line, then!” He seemed a bit _too_ happy - he probably hadn’t thought Ryuji would actually accept his offer. 

And under normal circumstances, Ryuji definitely wouldn’t have.

They started walking toward the line together, Ryuji falling in step with Akechi. It felt too easy, like walking with Akira, and he forced himself to hang back a bit.

“Hey, wait, what were you talking about, ‘both of our problems?’ What problems could you possibly have, Mr. famous?”

Akechi turned to face him and his smile faltered, just slightly, and Ryuji thought he saw a hint of something genuine. A tiny crease between his eyes. Was it frustration? Sadness?

“I just wanted a friend to go with, that’s all,” he said.

The sincerity caught Ryuji off guard. He had to collect himself before responding.

“Yeah, well, we're not friends,” said Ryuji, and he saw Akechi flinch at that. “B-but I appreciate the offer,” he continued, the words spilling from his mouth to cover up his rude statement, “and what kind of jerk would I be to turn that down?”

“I mean, it doesn’t seem entirely out of character, from what I’ve seen.” Akechi said, his smile snapping back to the fake one. Ryuji grimaced. 

“Whatever,” he said, face flushed, “let’s just buy the tickets before I change my mind!”

They stood in line together. Ryuji placed himself as far away from Akechi as he could without seeming rude, and he _still_ felt too close. He was sure the detective would notice his distaste by now, but he didn’t care. Pretending to be nice was exhausting. He’d already committed to this, so he might as well do it his way. 

“So, how long have you known Kurusu-kun?” asked Akechi, maintaining his pleasant conversational tone. “Did you know each other before he moved here?”

“Nope. Just since April, when he transferred in,” Ryuji answered. “We were both kinda outcasts, y’know? We ended up interacting a lot just because of that.”

“Did you have a lot of friends before he came?” 

Now it was Ryuji’s turn to flinch. Yikes, this guy didn’t pull any punches.

“Honestly? No. There was some stuff that happened with the track team-“

“Kamoshida’s doing, right?”

Ryuji blinked hard. Had that come up in the police investigation? “Yeah, Kamoshida had somethin’ to do with it. Anyway, after that, I switched up my image... a lot of people at school were scared of me,” he explained, kicking the ground absently.

“I don’t find you that intimidating,” said Akechi.

Ryuji’s face reddened at that. “Oh, yeah?” he responded, struck dumb, and Akechi just nodded at him.

Was he embarrassed, or angry? He didn’t want regular people to be afraid of him, but a part of him wanted _Akechi_ to be afraid of him. He wanted to be seen as a threat, as someone interesting, as someone dangerous.

He wanted to be seen as Skull. But he supposed that was nothing new. 

“Well... thanks, I guess?”

Akechi hummed in response and the line moved forward, nearly reaching the booth. It wasn’t very busy today, which might make their illegal endeavor a bit more difficult.

“Hey, wait a minute,” hissed Ryuji, “you’re working for the police, and you’re willing to break the law?”

Akechi covered his face with his hand as if lost in thought, but Ryuji could see the sides of a wide grin poking out. 

“You of all people should know, Sakamoto-kun – some laws are simply unnecessary. Just because it's my duty to hold the world accountable doesn’t mean I can’t make my own decisions.”

Ryuji shook his head. “Man, I do not get you at all.”

“Let me explain, then. You’ve already watched at least one of these movies, right?” Akechi explained, holding one finger up. 

Ryuji sighed, but nodded. He’d play along.

“I have as well. Both of us have seen these movies without parental consent or supervision below the legal age, so with that in mind, it shouldn’t be an issue for us to see it in public.”

“I guess that makes sense,” replied Ryuji. “My mom works a lot, and my piece-of-shit dad isn’t around anymore, so I get to watch whatever I want at home.”

Akechi looked away, his expression inscrutable. “Then it seems we have something in common after all.”

“What, hardworking moms?” Ryuji asked, puffing his chest out.

Akechi laughed at that, but it was a pained sound, as though he had to wrench it out. “Not quite. My father is no-good, ruthless man as well. But my mother passed away long ago, and of course, he wants nothing to do with me.”

Damn, the high and mighty detective prince had a rough family life? Ryuji's face fell. At least he and his mom had each other - Akechi had nobody.

“Damn, I’m... sorry. I never woulda guessed. You’re so...”

“Well-adjusted?” Akechi looked back up at him, false smile on display. "You're not the first to think that." 

This guy was a roller coaster, Ryuji had never felt so emotionally whiplashed by one single conversation. Akechi swung from real to fake and back again in such short bursts, Ryuji wondered if he was even trying. Either he was a really good actor, or a really bad one.

“Yeah. It just seems like you took it a lot better than I did.” 

“I’m not so sure about that,” said Akechi, darkness flashing across his features so quickly Ryuji couldn’t tell if he’d imagined it or not. “I’m still angry about it, to tell you the truth. But thank you anyway, Sakamoto-kun.” 

Maybe Akechi wasn’t as much of an arrogant jerk as Ryuji thought. It sounded like he was struggling with shitty adults, just like the phantom thieves were. Not so different after all. But still, something was off. He needed to figure it out.

They reached the ticket booth, and Akechi stepped smoothly in front of Ryuji. He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the counter and lacing his fingers together.

Ryuji was about to comment on how ridiculously unnecessary Akechi’s pose was until he saw the way the girl behind the counter was looking at him.

Akechi locked eyes with her. “Hello there,” he cooed, and her breath hitched audibly. “Two adults for Slasher City VII, please.” 

“Y-you’re Goro Akechi,” she breathed, and Ryuji grit his teeth hard. How come girls fell all over this pretty boy? Sure, Akechi was smart, fashionable, had a good job, a TV personality, a soothing voice... he stopped that train of thought, wincing at how long the list went. He still couldn’t believe this. The ticket girl looked to be around Ryuji’s age, and she hadn’t even so much as _glanced_ at him.

“You caught me,” said Akechi, tousling his hair and throwing her a dazzling smile. “My friend and I would like to get our tickets, if you wouldn’t mind?” His voice curled around the word ‘friend’ emphatically, protectively, as if it was something rare.

Between being busy with work and his polarizing attitude, Akechi probably didn’t have many friends. That thought send a stab of pity through Ryuji. He needed to focus on getting intel, but the whole situation was just making him more confused. Who was Goro Akechi, really?

“Ah, um, okay!” She stammered out finally, fiddling with the machine. “You’re over eighteen, right?”

“Of course,” said Akechi, a grave look on his face. “Would you like to see photo ID?” 

“N-no! That won’t be necessary!” She pressed a few buttons, blushing face bent low over the ticket machine, and Ryuji held his breath. Would she ask for his ID, too?

“That’ll be 3000 yen, please!” she said, still looking away as Akechi pulled out his wallet and slid a 5000 yen bill along the counter toward her.

“Keep the change,” Akechi said, batting his eyes, and while the girl floundered he snatched the two movie tickets she'd placed on the counter. Ryuji exhaled. He was in the clear. Akechi motioned to him and they made their way into the lobby.

“Uh, I think you laid it on a little thick there,” Ryuji said, scuffling next to him. They walked in step now, and Akechi handed him his ticket with a shrug. 

“Perhaps. But my plan worked, so does it really matter?” He peered at Ryuji. “Are you upset?”

“No!” snapped Ryuji, obstinate, suddenly becoming very interested in the ticket. _Slasher City VII, Theater 3, 3:15pm._  

“You seemed irritated that the girl running the ticket booth was so eager to talk to me.” 

Irritated was putting it lightly. 

“Okay, yeah, I was. A little.”

Akechi smiled, turning into theater 3.

“See how much easier things are when you simply say what’s on your mind?” 

_Yeah, like you’re one to talk._

\---------------

The theater was pretty empty – probably because it was a weekday, and most people were working. The trailers were running, and the movie would be starting soon.

“Let’s sit in the back,” Akechi whispered, his tone mischievous. “We might as well embrace our inner delinquent as fully as possible, right?”

“What are you trying to say?” growled Ryuji, following him to the back row. Embracing their inner delinquent sounded an awful lot like a Persona awakening. Could Akechi know about the Metaverse? No, that was impossible. Ryuji was just imagining things.

They settled into their seats, pressed uncomfortably against the back wall. The row was deserted, besides them, and floor stuck uncomfortably under Ryuji's shoes. He shivered. Why would anyone want to hook up in a place like this? It seemed uncomfortable. Or maybe his mind was in the gutter, and the floor had just been dirtied from repeated soda spills.

Akechi's arm brushed against his as he rifled through his pocket for soemthing, and Ryuji realized he hadn't been this close to Akechi before. It felt odd. He smelled _really_ good, for a guy. Like clean linens, and coffee. And he was radiating warmth, somehow, that Ryuji could feel from his seat - which wasn't great in the summer heat. Ryuji flapped his shirt, annoyed, but said nothing.

After a moment, Akechi pulled out a candy bar from his back pocket. "Concession snacks are hugely overpriced,” he explained, breaking the chocolate in half and offering it to Ryuji.

“Thanks,” Ryuji said, immediately and taking a large bite. The way Akechi was looking at him right now was so bizarrely bright, so thankful - it was _depressing._ This guy really must have no friends if he was appreciating Ryuji’s presence this much. Ryuji took the opportunity to chew as long as possible so he wouldn't have to think of something else to say. 

As if on cue, the lights dimmed down, and ominous violin music began to play. Almost immediately after the movie began, screams echoed through the theater. The killer, lurking in the in the alleyway shadows, had taken three loud shots at a man walking by. Ryuji leaped out of his seat, then frantically checked his peripheral vision to make sure Akechi hadn’t noticed his panic.

Akechi was chuckling a bit under his breath, taking a delicate bite of his chocolate. Okay, _that_ was pretty fucking weird.

The detective prince seemed unperturbed as the movie ran, and even though Ryuji saw his fair share of violence and blood regularly in the Metaverse, Akechi was inhumanly cool. Maybe it was due to his line of work, but Ryuji was suspicious.

During moments where the entire theater screamed, Akechi merely shook his head, smiling sadly at the poor sap who’d just gotten trapped in the killer's doomsday device. 

“She really was a sitting target,” he mumbled under his breath. 

Ryuji grasped the seat armrest, so white-knuckled his fingers ached. Not only was Akechi acting really weird, but the movie was way too suspenseful and violent – more so than Slasher City VI had been. Maybe he shouldn’t have come after all. 

Akechi glanced down at his clenched hands. “Oh, don’t tell me – are you scared?” he jeered. “Don’t worry, it’s almost over now” and before Ryuji could come up with a witty comeback, he’d placed his hand over Ryuji’s and gave it a squeeze.

Who the fuck did this guy think he was?

“H-hey! What are-“

“No need to thank me, I’m happy to provide moral support. Let’s keep watching, hmm?”

Ryuji was too mortified to move his hand away. If the intent was moral support, he should play along, right?

Despite his alarmingly high body heat, Akechi's hands were cold. 

\-----------

“Well, uh, that definitely took my mind off things,” Ryuji said once they’d exited the theater. His insides were still squirming with adrenaline, legs jittering as he walked.

“I needed that as well,” said Akechi, sighing contentedly as if he’d just taken a sip of hot tea. “I just find horror movies to be so relaxing, you know?”

Ryuji squinted at him. “Not really?” he said.

Akechi chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. Ryuji recoiled at the contact - why was he _so damn_ touchy? - and he noticed that Akechi was actually a bit taller than him. Of course he was. He had to one-up him in every way. Akechi wasn't even shaken up at all by a scary movie. Bastard

“One day you’ll understand, I’m sure," said Akechi, with reverence. "The intrigue, the violence, the suspense – it’s invigorating!” 

Ryuji figured that Akechi must be dealing with some anger about his dad, that had to be why he felt like this. At least Ryuji was able to beat the crap out of shadows after school – Akechi had to sit prim and proper every day. He _couldn’t_ take off his mask, not like Ryuji could. 

“I guess I see where you’re coming from,” Ryuji mumbled.

They walked in silence until they were back on the streets of Shibuya. Akechi stopped, turning to face him.

"Well, that was surprisingly enjoyable, Sakamoto-kun. Perhaps we could do something like this again sometime?"

Ryuji hesitated. He supposed having this guy where he could see him wouldn't hurt. Having him as a friend might not be a bad idea either.

"Yeah, sure."

That earned him a smile from Akechi, and to Ryuji's relief, it was a real one this time. He returned it.

**Author's Note:**

> tbh I thought akechi's writing in the game left a lot to be desired, but he had a lot of potential, and i love his dynamic with ryuji so I decided to try writing it myself and suddenly im a ride or die ryugoro now??
> 
> the second part of this series will take place MUCH later in the game... :^)
> 
> (note: this series is on hiatus currently, but I'll likely be writing the second part when the p5 anime has progressed a bit farther!)
> 
> talk to me on [tumblr](http://mechagecko.tumblr.com) or [twitter (message first)](https://twitter.com/mamudoons)


End file.
